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Teixeira named AL Player of the Week

Teixeira named AL Player of the Week

Mark Teixeira's showing this week had his manager at a loss for words at
times.

"Mark had a big day. My goodness," was all Texas manager Buck Showalter
could say after Teixeira belted two home runs on July 30.

The 25-year-old first baseman hit .414 with three homers, 12 RBIs and seven
runs in seven games this week en route to being named the Bank of America
American League Player of the Week for the period ending Sept. 4.

Teixeira, who won a Silver Slugger Award last season, posted a .500 on-base
percentage, collected four walks and led the AL with an .862 slugging
percentage and 25 total bases last week.

In the first game of a doubleheader on July 30 with the White Sox, owners of
the AL's best record, Teixeira belted two long balls and notched six RBIs.
The day before, Teixeira went 3-for-4 and collected his 100th RBI of the
year against Chicago.

The Maryland native followed by slipping into an 0-for-9 slump during the
next three games. But Teixeira, who was selected to his first All-Star Game
this year, snapped out of it by finishing the week 6-for-12 with a home run,
four RBIs and four runs in the next three games.

On Sept. 2, Teixeira went 2-for-4 and hit the ninth triple of his short
career.

"What I like about this year compared to last year is that I really haven't
had a lot of fluctuation from big highs to big lows," Teixeira said this
week. "When you do that, your team can count on you pretty much every game
to make a contribution."

Teixeira hit .333 with six home runs and 22 RBIs in August and is currently
hitting .288 through 138 games. His 35 homers and 111 RBIs rank fifth and
third in the American League, respectively.

Last season, Teixeira had a .281 average with 38 homers and 112 RBIs in 145
games for the Rangers.

"There's a ton of room for me to grow," Teixeira said. "I'm still working on
a lot of things and trying to get better."

The weekly honor was the third such award in Teixeira's career and the
second he's won this season -- the other coming in the third week of May. He
was selected over Boston's John Olerud (.533, three home runs and 11 RBIs)
and Chicago's Jermaine Dye (.286, four homers, eight RBIs). New York Yankees
pitcher Aaron Small (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 innings) was also considered.

A $1,000 donation will be made by the Bank of America to the Little League
Urban Initiative on behalf of Teixeira as part of the award.

Jordan Bastian is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.